Ah the lessons that we learn, I have been praying for years for my family and to be honest, my most frequent request of the lord for them is not that he would bless them, give them lots of money, keep them safe or even that they would do well in all that they put their hands too.

No, I have cried out to God that they would come to know him in a deep and personal way, that their hearts would be whole heartedly devoted to him, and that his perfect will be done in their lives.

It might seem strange to hear that that is my deepest hope, wish and desire for them, but truthfully, I have personally learnt that if you do not know God in a deep and personal way, it is hard to walk in a way that would please him and it is easy to find yourself in a pit of sin and destruction.

Now, it is not to say that I do not want the very best for them, I absolutely do, and I do throw those prayers in there for them, but I know that a heart that beats for God is a heart that is at peace, filled with joy, knows contentment and is filled with wisdom.

I know that when their hearts are set on the course that God has for them, they will be blessed in all that they do, that they will choose righteousness over evil and wisdom over foolishness.

I know that they will be kind and compassionate to those around them and show the love of God to the world. I know that they will make a difference in people’s lives as well as in the world around them.

I know that if their hearts are set ablaze for the things of God, that even when the road gets rough, which it so often will, they will be equipped to handle it. They will know how to pray and ask for the lord’s help, instead of stubbornly and pride fully trying to do it all on their own.

They will learn from their mistakes and use it as character development instead of just ignoring the lessons and letting themselves get into a compromising position again.

I know that if their hearts are devoted to God, that they will be generous with their time and their money, and that when they see needs they will quietly fill them, not needing the whole world to know what a good deed they have done.

I know that when their hearts are set ablaze, they will stand up for righteousness, defend the week and even if they are attacked for their stand, they will do it willingly due to their devotion to God.

I know that when their hearts are lost in God, they will not be tempted to have other gods that will draw them away. Things that would occupy their time and that would make their hearts grow cold towards God.

Therefore, I feel, that even though the answers to my prayers for my loved ones might not look like I think that they should, I know without a shadow of a doubt, that there is no place on earth, where they will be happier, safer and more secure, than in the loving arms of their Savior Jesus Christ.

The lord promises that he will strengthen those people whose hearts are devoted to him, Yes that is what I want for my loved ones, I want them strengthened in the lord, made wise through walking in the fear of the lord and have lives that spill out the goodness of the lord to all whom they encounter. Yes, this is what I want for my family.

2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

What a grand promise that the lord gave to us, that he will strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him, Thank you lord.

So, if you might have been afraid to commit your own heart to the lord fully, I want to encourage you today, that you will never regret it if you did. He is faithful with his promises, he is able to keep you and even if the situations in your life, look like they are out of control, or too overwhelming, when we commit ourselves to him, he promises to fight for us, to deliver us, and to give us the wisdom that we need to navigate through difficult situations.

If you would like to make a commitment to the lord today and desire to have a heart that is whole heartedly committed to him, it is simple.

All you need to do, is ask him.

Yes it is that simple. Ask him for not only a heart that is undivided, but the ability to have a fresh passion for him rise up within you.

Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

My prayer for you today, is this

Father, you are the king of kings and lord of Lords, the creator of all that we see with our eyes, and the things unseen. You created each one of us, with a God sized hole in our hearts so that we would turn to you and desire to know and walk with you. Lord God, I pray for my brothers and sisters today, that you would fill them with a renewed passion for you, that you will give them the desire to have a heart that is undivided, that choses you over things that would cause them to sin. Father I ask that they would learn to walk in a new way with you today, that you will fill their hearts with your spirit, and that from this day forward, they will come to know you in a deeper, whole hearted way.

How do we know what the perfect will of God is for our lives? I have heard many well intentioned people say things about finding and praying for the will of God in my life, but what does it mean exactly and how do we do it?

I would like to take a few moments and share a couple of the truths that I believe God has taught me over the years, concerning praying for his will to be done in my life.

If you have been a Christian for a while, you might have had people say, we want to live our lives according to the will of God.

My question has always been what is the will of God for my life? If I am supposed to live my life according to it, then how do I discover what it is?

This is where prayer has become an essential part of the journey to discovering what God’s true will is for my life, and not only that, but praying specifically for it to happen.

I believe that the lord had revealed to me this one fundamental truth;

IF I want to know what the will of God is, then all I need to do is to look in the bible, as they are the very words of God, to the world.

That sounds easy enough, but there are long genealogies, stories of war, famine, drought and the like. There are also stories of beatings, depravations and shipwrecks. How on earth can I a mere lay person discover God’s specific will for my life in the midst of all of that.

This is where I believe that the lord stepped up my training. As I would read the bible I discovered that some passages would specifically give a command that said, do this or that as it is in accordance with the will of God. That seemed easy enough.

Matthew 6:9-15

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

In the passage above, Jesus taught his disciples how they should pray to God the Father, according to his will, we learn that we are to reverence God (hallowed be your name), we can ask for his kingdom to come and for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We can ask him to give us our daily bread ( what we need to live on, eat, clothing, shelter etc) We can also confidently ask him to forgive us the sins that we have committed that has hindered our relationship with him, as well as for us to forgive those who through their sinful behavior have hurt/offended us. Then we can pray that we not succumb to the temptations that the devil would throw at us during our day, but instead be able to resist them in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can also ask God to deliver us from the evil one, that we will not be trapped by his schemes and devices and led into sin.

Through these verses we also discover the importance that God puts on us forgiving other people, as he says that if we forgive men, he will forgive us to. It sometimes feels better (for a moment) to hold a grudge or feel justified in your anger against someone, but the truth is, that Forgiveness is God’s will for us, and it will set us free.

As you can see, we have discovered in this short prayer many things about God and his will for our lives, and so it is with confidence that we can pray these things daily.

My question was though, are there more passages of scripture that would help me to discover a greater depth to God’s will for my life?

The answer came through the revelation of the Holy Spirit as a big fat Yes! I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to me how to figure out more of God’s will for my life and he showed me that the more that I read scripture, the more I would discover things that were principles of good godly living. Sometimes these principles were hidden among the accounts of people who had gone before us, and what they learnt along the way. Sometimes the truth was out in plain sight.

I did discover however that without the Holy Spirit leading the charge in my education, it was just words on a page to me, instead of the living principles that I knew that they were.

Jesus promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to teach us how to live lives that are pleasing to the will of God. Therefore we can confidently pray, knowing that it is God’s will, for the Holy Spirit to teach us the things from heaven that would help us to live our lives here on earth.

John 14:26

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

As you can see from the above verse Jesus told the disciples that he would send a counselor to us, and he is the spirit of truth, it is his job to lead us into the truth of God.

There is also another very important concept that I would like to bring your attention to as well, and that is, that Jesus said that when we have faith in him, we will be able to ask for anything in his name and he will do it; now I am sure that he was not talking about us asking for things that would be for selfish reasons, like a million dollars, a Lamborghini and so forth, No, I believe that he is wanting us to ask for things, that will aide in our Christian character and that would benefit others around as well.

John 14:12 – 17

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. “

Therefore, we can conclude that not only does God want us to ask him for things, but he wants us to have faith in him, walk in obedience to him, and ask him for anything in his name and he will do it. These are facts from the bible that we can literally put in our “bank account” of God’s will for our lives.

In the book of Proverbs there are many revelations of God’s will, for instance, in the beginning of the book it tells us to ask and seek for wisdom.

Therefore, when I pray, I can confidently ask for wisdom as well as be assured that what I am asking for is God’s will for my life.

I can also ask that this godly wisdom would help me to discern between good and evil, righteousness and wickedness. I can ask the Lord to help me to live a disciplined and prudent life that will lead me to doing things that are just and fair. Proverbs 1:1-3

All I have done is read the first 3 verses of the book of proverbs and discovered that God wants me to desire wisdom, he wants me to learn the difference between wickedness and righteousness and he wants me to be disciplined enough to pursue that.

Then as I read further through the book of proverbs there are many other things that I can pray for, like “lord, help me to learn not to be lazy, but be diligent as you promise in your word that if I am diligent and work hard I will be rewarded with wealth” Proverbs 10:4

Or,

“Lord, please help me to be wise in heart and accept your commands, let me not become like a foolish man, who just talks all of the time, but never takes the time to listen to instructions, help me oh lord to be a person of integrity all the days of my life so that my walk with you would be secure, because your word says that he who takes a crooked path will be found out. Lord I see so many examples of that around me in the news daily, help me oh lord I pray” Proverbs 10:8-9

As you can see that when we take the time to search out the word of God and then pray it back to God, we will soon learn not only what His will is for our lives, but we will also pray that it would become a reality and part of our lives. Therefore, I confidently know that what I have asked the lord for He will give me, as it is a part of His will for my life, or else He would not have put it in the bible!

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I want to encourage you to take a deeper look at the word of God, and see how you can turn it back into prayer, not only for your own life but also for those around you, your loved ones and your neighbors. God delights in answering us, and when we desire to have the things that he has already prepared for us, like, wisdom, diligence, righteousness then it becomes even easier for him to answer with a YES to our requests.

If you have never prayed in this way before and you find it a bit intimidating, I suggest that you start small, like in Proverbs chapter 1. Read it through, and ask the lord to show you have to pray it back to him, asking him for the wisdom, insight and fear of the lord that would strengthen you in Him.

I know that when you start to pray in this way, the excitement of discovering God’s will for your life will become overwhelming at times, be sure to write in a journal the different insights that the Lord gives you along the way as well. I know that you will be blessed.

Please remember that God’s will and wisdom is not limited to the book of Proverbs so be sure to keep reading through the entire bible, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal his truth to you along the way as you pray and seek the will of God for your life.

My prayer for you, is that you will discover the depths of wisdom, truth and God’s will for your life as you spend time daily with him in his word. I pray that you will not just read the word, but that you will learn to apply it to your life and that you will become more and more Christ like daily. In Jesus name I pray,

I came across this great prayer the other day while I was going through some of my mother’s papers. She loved to collect poems, prayers, funny sayings and inspirational stories.

I thought that I would share this particular one with you as it has been my constant prayer for many years.

I have found over the years that one of the most satisfying ways to pray is to pray the word of God, and this is a prayer that does just that.

This prayer is based on Ephesians 6, I know that as you pray these words that this passage of Scripture will become more alive for you, as it has for me.

I pray that it will be something that you incorporate into your life daily, Putting on the full Armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the tricks of the enemy.

Here is the prayer:

Lord Jesus, by the Spirits anointing, make me strong with Your Mighty Power, Spirit of God, help me put on all of God’s amour that I will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil.

Holy Spirit, help me understand that I am not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against the wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

Empower me to use every piece of God’s amour to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle I will still be standing firm.

Help me to stand my ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

Spirit of God put on me the shoes of peace that come from the good news, so that I will be fully prepared.

In every battle strengthen my faith as my shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at me by Satan. Anoint me Holy Spirit, the with the helmet of salvation, put in my hand Your sword, Holy Spirit, which is the word of God.

Spirit of God, pray through me at all times and on every occasion in Your Mighty Power.
Equip me to stay alert and be persistent in my prayers for all Christians everywhere.

In Jesus precious name I pray all of this,

Amen.

Ephesians 6:10-18 – NIV

The Armor of God10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

I pray that God will bless each of you as you read his word and I pray that you will put it in your heart and grow to become more and more like him everyday.

As modern believers in Christ Jesus we have the privilege of having the word of God at our finger tips; whether on the computer or in a physical book. There are so many wonderful teachings tucked into the folds of God’s word to us.

I am going to take the liberty and include a piece of scripture that has always meant a lot to me but through recent study of it, it has come alive. It comes from the book of Colossians, the first Chapter.

The apostle Paul has written this letter to the believers of Colossae as he had heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and how through that faith, they had great love for all of the saints (Believers) around them. Their faith was bearing much fruit; in other words they were putting their faith into action, in showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (Galatians 5: 22)

He had also heard that there were some false teachings that were circulating (Gnostic teaching) and he wanted to convey to the people of Colossae that what they had been given in Christ Jesus was all that they needed for faith and living and eternal life.

He then writes a prayer for the believer that gives us a great insight into what we as believers need to desire and ask for in prayer, not only for ourselves but for all those believers around us.

Colossians 1:9-14

9: For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

10: And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

11: being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully

12: giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you£ to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

13: For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

14 :in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

My prayer for each of you today is this:

That you will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will for your life through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, in order that you will live a life that is worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that as you live in this way that it will be pleasing to God in every way and that you will bear much fruit in everything that you put your hand to do.

I pray that as you set aside time every day to seek out the lord that you will grow in your knowledge of God and that he will strengthen you with his power according to his glorious might. I pray that you will have great endurance to finish the course that God has set before you and that you will learn to patiently wait on God through his Holy Spirit as he directs you in all of your ways.

I pray that the joy of the Lord will bubble out of you as you give thanks to our Father God who because of Jesus’ death on the cross has now qualified you to share in the inheritance that he has set aside in heaven for you; along with all of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

I pray to that you will realize that because you are a child of God; He has rescued you from the dominion of darkness and now you have been brought into the kingdom of Jesus Christ his Son whom he loves very much.

I pray to that you will realize that because of his great love for you and because he rescued you, he also has given you the gift of redemption and the forgiveness of all your sins.

I pray to that you will all realize how wide and deep and long and high the love of God is for you. I pray that you will never be tempted to believe that you are all alone and are unloved. I pray that you will rejoice in the knowledge of God’s great love for you today.

I pray all of this for you in the name of our Precious Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that from today forward and for all of your days on this earth, that you would apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. (Prov 23:12) I pray that you will diligently seek the lord with all of your heart and that you will never be tempted to lean on your own limited understanding of things but by trusting in the Lord, the creator of all things, you will find the path that is right for you. (Prov 3)

I pray that you will learn to walk in Reverent fear of the Lord all of your days, this as the bible says is the beginning of all wisdom. The reason that it is, is that everything comes from his hand and you will be wise to acknowledge that always. I pray that the Lord will strengthen you in your spirit and that you will come to the realization that the fear of man will only become a trap for you, but the fear of the lord will bring life, wisdom, righteousness, joy and peace.

I pray that you will always choose your friends wisely. Friends can either build you up or tear you down. They can either bring life to you, happiness, joy, excitement, purity and hope or they can lead you into things that will cause bondage, heartache or loss. I pray to that you will always ask the lord for the wisdom and discernment to distinguish between the two so that you will be free from the heart ache that sin brings.

I pray that you will never think to yourself, “hey those friends over there who are following the world are having way more fun than I am, they can do and say and think whatever they want, I wish that I could do that to” The bible says that the wages of sin are death, you don’t want that as your reward.

I pray that all of the days of your life you will be zealous for the things of God. That you will always place him first in your life, as in doing so it God promises that you will find him and that all of the things that you need in life will be given to you.

I pray that you will put a guard over your heart, this is so important as you navigate through life as your heart will determine what kind of life you end up having. One of righteousness that leads to eternal life or of stubborn sinfulness that leads to bondage and death. Guard your heart against things that will contaminate it.

I pray that you will also purposely guard your mind, the devil our enemy, wages his greatest war in this area of our lives and he is very crafty at getting us to think wrong thoughts. I pray that you will fill your mind with the word of God diligently so that when thoughts come that are not of God you will be able to compare it with the word of truth which you have hidden in your heart.

I pray that you will always guard your mouth. The lord says that one day we will be held accountable for every word that we have spoken, so choose your words wisely. This will become way easier for you when you guard your heart and your mind, as Jesus taught us that out of the wickedness of our hearts our mouth speaks. So it is like a cascading affect. Guard your heart and mind and the things that come out of your mouth will bring life and encouragement to everyone around you.

I pray that you will always ask yourself if what you have said has brought life to someone or death. If it has brought death I pray that you will humble yourself and go to that person and ask for forgiveness.

I pray that you will also learn to walk humbly with the Lord, searching your heart and acknowledging when you are hiding things in there that will lead you to sin against him. I pray that in this process you will be quick to repent in order to keep “short accounts” with the Lord.

I pray that as you mature in him that His will for your life will become very important to you and that you will diligently seek it and live it out. That is where you will undoubtedly be the happiest.

I pray to that you will train yourself to be thankful to God for all the big and small things that God has done and given to you, the more grateful you are, the more you will realize the multitude of blessings that you have been given.

I pray that your feet will be bound to his perfect path for your life, your mind and heart will always be soft and sensitive to him and that what ever your put your hands to will prosper you all the days of your life.

I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and that his face will shine upon you all the days of your life.

1 In times of trouble, may the LORD answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.2 May he send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem.£3 May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude4 May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers.6 Now I know that the LORD rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power.7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.8 Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.9 Give victory to our king, O LORD! Answer our cry for help.

What a powerful Psalm and one that I truly cherish, why, because it is a prayer of blessing from one to another. I pray that as you read these words you will realize that God desires to give you the desires of your heart, which he planted there. He desires to give you victory over the sin that so easily entangles your life.

God desires that we would recognize where our help truly comes from, it does not come from people, or carefully laid out plans or even things, but it comes from Him. He is the one who can help us through every difficulty in our lives. He without a doubt is able to see us through to the other side of any storm that we may be facing.

You see when we put our trust into things and people instead of in God we often don’t get the results that we are looking for. Things don’t work out and we find ourselves in a worse state than before.

I want to encourage you today, to surrender your plans and your hopes and dreams to God, cry out to him for mercy and grace and I promise that without a single doubt in my mind that God will meet you were you are at. He will give you the ideas that you need to solve the problems, he will bring healing to your heart, where it is broken, and he will blanket you with his peace as you trust in him and his plans for your life.

Don’t delay, act now, call on him, he is waiting for you to cry out to him. Our human nature screams at us to run in the opposite direction from God when we are in trouble or when our sin threatens to drag us down.

But, turn to him today and you will see that without a doubt, he will give you forgiveness and a peace that truly passes all understanding. Then you will be able to boast like the Psalmist did and say:

Hey everyone, you guys boast in horses and chariots to fight your battles, but I have something way more powerful and effective, that is God, the mighty one, who loves and fights for me!

I pray that this Psalm will bless you as much as it has blessed me. I pray that you will know the sweetness of God’s peace and that the desires that God has placed in your heart will be fulfilled and you will bring glory to God through your obedience to him.

I pray that they put off their old selves – that they be made new in the attitude of their minds and put on their new self created to be like you in true righteousness and holiness. Help them to speak only truth and deal properly with anger. May their words build each others up. May they be kind and compassionate to one another and forgive as they have received your forgiveness for their own sins. (4)

May you be the one they chose to imitate and may they live a life of love like Christ demonstrated to us when he gave his life for us.

May they not be tempted to partner in any sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking but instead live as children of the light. May your righteousness and truth be displayed in their lives. Please fill them with your Spirit. May they always thank you for

I pray that they may live a life worthy of the calling that they have received. Help them to be completely humble, gentle, patient and live in unity. I know that you have given each of my sister saints spiritual gifts that they are to use to build up other believers. May they discover what these are and be willing to use them for your glory.

Lord, it is so important that they not remain as infants in their faith. Give them the desire and hunger to study your word. May they grow and mature in their faith so that they are not lead astray by any false teaching of our enemy. Please give them discerning hearts.

I pray that they put off their old selves – that they be made new in the attitude of their minds and put on their new self created to be like you in true righteousness and holiness. Help them to speak only truth and deal properly with anger. May their words build each others up. May they be kind and compassionate to one another and forgive as they have received your forgiveness for their own sins. (4)

May you be the one they chose to imitate and may they live a life of love like Christ demonstrated to us when he gave his life for us. May they not be tempted to partner in any sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking but instead live as children of the light. May your righteousness and truth be displayed in their lives. Please fill them with your Spirit. May they always thank you for everything. Please help them to submit to you , to each other and to their husbands. May they respect their husbands and love their wives as well. (5)

I pray for all those who are mothers and grandmothers, fathers and grandfathers. May they love their children and may they bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. In whatever way they serve you may it be with their whole hearts. May their strength come from you and may they stand strong in you and in your power.

Father we know that we are weak but you are strong. We know that we have been clothed in your protective armor. Our enemy is scheming to fight against us. Please protect our minds and our hearts. Please shield us from flaming arrows that may be fired at us. May we have our swords, your word ready to fight against the lies of the enemy. May we not only be prepared but may we also know how to use our swords. Your word is truth. May we pray. Pray. Pray. May our feet be ready to take us to the place that you want us to share the good news with others.(Ephesians 6)

I thank you God for all of these saints. I pray that they will complete the work that you have given them to do. I pray that their love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so they may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ. I pray that they may speak your word with great courage and without fear. May the way they live their lives glorify you. May they stand firm no matter what they are going through. ( Philippians 1)

I pray that my brothers and sisters in Christ may be encouraged and comforted by your Spirit. May they walk in humility, and model it for others to see. May they build each other up with what they say. Help them to not argue or complain but instead become blameless and pure children of God. May they shine like stars in the darkness as they hold out your word by the way they act, live and by what they say. (2)

I pray that they will rejoice in the Lord. That they will be thankful for all that Christ has done for them and the blessings they have received. They have been given Christ’s righteousness in exchange for their sins. I pray that they will want to know Christ more, His power and share in his sufferings and one day be in his presence forever. Help them to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. May they press toward the goal to win the prize for which you have called them heavenward. They are citizens of heaven and one day their earthly bodies will be transformed into glorious ones. (3)

Lord, these brothers and sisters are my joy. May they stand firm in you. I pray that they live in unity with each other. May they continue to rejoice always in you. May your gentleness grow in them. Help them not to worry or be anxious but trust you completely. I pray that they will take their concerns, their thanksgiving and their praise directly to you. May your peace stand guard over their hearts and their minds. Please protect their minds from any lies Satan may want them to believe.

May they be content whether they have a little or a lot. May they have joy. May they depend on you to give them the strength to do what you want them to do. May they be generous to pass on your blessings to others knowing that you will meet all their needs. May your grace and peace be with them. (4)

Father, I thank you that these saints have been devoted to study your word together and to pray together. I know that you have increased their knowledge and wisdom about you.

I pray that they realize how much you love them. May they never, never, never forget that .

In your sons precious name

Amen

(Thank you Dianne for submitting this wonderful prayer for us. I pray that God will bless you indeed in your writing and encouragement of the saints)

You are Holy, Almighty, Loving, Sovereign, Kind and Gracious. We could spend all morning just praising you.

I thank you for your son, Jesus who willingly and humbly left heaven to come here to earth, to be the sacrifice for our sins. I give you thanks for the opportunity that we have had to share your word together as brothers and sisters in the Lord, to fellowship together, to laugh and cry together and to pray together.

Lord, I pray that all of these brothers and sisters will realize how blessed they are. They have been chosen to be holy and blameless, loved, redeemed, forgiven and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

I pray that you will give them wisdom and reveal yourself to them so they may know you more and the hope that you give. May they draw from your incomparably great power that is available to them as believers. (Ephesians 1)

I thank you that they are no longer dead in their sins, but that they are alive in Christ, not because of anything that they did themselves but because of your grace and mercy. We know this was your plan so that none of us would boast. May they never forget that they are your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which you prepared in advance for them to do.

Help them to discover what it is that you want them to do. May they go to you to find peace, the peace that Jesus offers. I thank you that because of Jesus death and resurrection, we can approach your throne room any time of the day knowing that you are listening. I know that we are all members of one household with Christ as our cornerstone. (2)

May these bothers and sisters be your willing and obedient servants of your gospel and may they be willing to take your good news to those you want them to. May they approach you with freedom and confidence. May they praise you, thank you and bring their requests before you.

I pray that “out of your glorious riches you may strengthen them with power through your Spirit. I pray that they may have power to grasp with all the saints how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is and that they be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God ” May they know that you can do immeasurably more than they ask or imagine according to your great power at work in them. (3)

I pray that they may live a life worthy of the calling that they have received. Help them to be completely humble, gentle, patient and live in unity. I know that you have given each of my sister saints spiritual gifts that they are to use to build up other believers. May they discover what these are and be willing to use them for your glory.

Lord, it is so important that they not remain as infants in their faith. Give them the desire and hunger to study your word. May they grow and mature in their faith so that they are not lead astray by any false teaching of our enemy. Please give them discerning hearts.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Used with Permission,

Written by Dianne Mcdonald

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